1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus for reproducing information, e.g., of video and audio, recorded on an optical disc such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), more particularly to an optical disc apparatus comprising not only a main chassis but also a chassis for holding an optical disc drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is an optical disc apparatus having not only a main chassis but also a chassis for holding an optical disc drive (hereinafter simply referred to as drive chassis) in optical disc apparatus for reproducing e.g. video, audio and characters recorded on optical discs such as CD (Compact Disc), LD (Laser Disc) and DVD-ROM (DVD-Read Only Memory) or on magneto-optical discs such as MD (Mini Disc). In such kind of apparatus, the drive chassis generally comprises pivot shafts at opposite ends thereof in a direction perpendicular to an optical disc insertion direction. The drive chassis is coupled to the main chassis by engaging the pivot shafts with bearing portions of the main chassis. For clamping an optical disc, the drive chassis is pivoted about the axis of each pivot shaft, whereby the optical disc is sandwiched between a turntable of the drive chassis and a clamp of the main chassis.
Furthermore, in the field of apparatus comprising a magnetic disc unit and a printed circuit board, which uses a screw provided on an insulator for fixing the printed circuit board to the insulator, it is known that the insulator is provided with a hook for holding the screw in order to prevent the screw from falling off the insulator. (Refer, for example, to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Hei 9-139063.)
In addition, in the field of video camera apparatus, a structure for absorbing shocks in case the apparatus drops is known, such that a frame supports a mechanism unit via a screw lock washer coupled, by four S-shaped elastic strips, to the frame. (Refer, for example, to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication 2000-356206.) This replaces use of a structure such that a frame supports a mechanism unit via a rubber bush.
However, the main chassis and the drive chassis are generally formed of flexible resin in the case of such optical disc apparatus as described above that the drive chassis is coupled to the main chassis by engaging, with the bearing portions of the main chassis, the pivot shafts provided at both ends of the drive chassis in a direction perpendicular to the optical disc insertion direction. Accordingly, in case a force is applied to the drive chassis in a direction perpendicular to the optical disc insertion direction, either one of the pivot shafts of the drive chassis is likely to be pressed against the main chassis to become bent. Thus, there has been a possibility that the pivot shaft of the drive chassis slips off the bearing portion of the main chassis, whereby the drive chassis falls off the main chassis.
Besides, if the technology described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Hei 9-139063 as referred to above is applied to mount the pivot shafts at the opposite ends of the drive chassis to the bearing portions of the main chassis, the drive chassis becomes unable to be pivoted relative to the main chassis. Furthermore, even if the technology described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication 2000-356206 is applied to mount the drive chassis to the main chassis, it is still not possible to prevent the drive chassis from falling off the main chassis. Moreover, since the use of a screw lock washer having elastic strips becomes necessary therein, there has been a problem that the number of parts increases, resulting in a cost increase.